


RESTART

by ReturnToZero



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Human!Stuck, M/M, RESTART, Suburb
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-09
Updated: 2013-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-11 18:16:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/481441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReturnToZero/pseuds/ReturnToZero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was time to wake up. This time Suburb was really just a game, and now they had to face reality.</p>
<p>But with haunting glitches and a fucked up Suburb, they can't help but question the actuality of their victory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wake Up

**Author's Note:**

> WARNINGS: AU, YAOI, ANGST, ETC.
> 
> This is confusing as fuck so please bear with me this insanity.

\---}[RESTART]

It was really strange.  
He felt...blank. Like somehow he had woken up from some dream, that he had just now realized that he was living. He let his eyes droop, and soon he found himself at the computer again.

A smile broke across his face, he logged into the game, fingers flying across the keys in recognition.

[S]: Be Gamzee Makara

The curly haired boy soon became immersed into a whole new world, he was motherfucking amazed. His blue eyes reflected the lights on the screen, instead turning a deep purple as he traveled further into the game.

He knew he had to find the other troll, he needed to regroup and talk to the other lovely boy he met all those years ago. Soon Gamzee frowned as he encountered a group of enemies, quickly whipping out his sylladex in order to avoid the fight. He continued this routine until he could barely keep up, he really wasn't in a mood to fight. Soon enough after hours of searching he tired out his troll, Gamzee would die from fatigue if he continued any longer-

Purple eyes widened as he spotted another enemy in the brush, "Motherfuck!" Completely unprepared for a fight Gamzee could not flee, so he sighed and awaited his death to come-

The enemy let out a howl and its life bar drained, someone had killed it.

Gamzee was still alive, be very weak, and he maneuvered in order to see his savior. A smile graced his face, and he could barely keep his heart still.

"hEY ARE YOU OKAY?"

Excitement shot through his veins, heart singing at the appearance of the other troll, the feelings so intense that he even fucked up on his typing quirk, "I'm fine thanks to you. i MeAn I'm StIlL dYiNg BuT i CaN tOuGh It OuT."

The two characters interacted on screen, and soon the troll named Tavros was healing Gamzee. Quickly Tavros then teleported the two of them into his hive, trying to restock Gamzee's inventory before they would leave to the dangerous world. Gamzee simply looked around, this was actually the first time he had ever been into Tavros' hive.

[S]: Space out like a high motherfucker.

It really had been years that the boys had know each other.

Gamzee had met while playing alone, he never had built a team, mainly because everyone was leaving Suburb and moving onto WW7. He would play a lot, and at ungodly hours too, his parents were never really there to say anything.

Anyways, so he had come across the other troll player, and soon he just started hanging around him. They clicked, and soon they created a team together. Tavros was always on around 6pm and never missed a day of playing. Gamzee would be the last one to sign off though. It was getting harder nowadays, Suburb was changing and the game was starting to glitch up. Shit would start re-spawning, and the teams were being ripped apart. Inventory would disappear, all in all the whole game was falling apart. Gamzee didn't know when it would be fixed but he hoped it would be soon, he didn't know if he could fucking take it if he lost connection with Tavros.

“uHHH,,, .i THINK WE'RE ALL SET,”

Gamzee pulled from his trance and sighed, “cOoL tHeN, lEaD tHe WaY mOtHeRfUcKeR. : O)”

The set off into the bright world, the trees and scenery already beginning to fuck up into oblivion. Gamzee laughed, instead opting to pull up a chat.

terminallyCapricious [TC] began pestering adiosToreador[AT]  
TC: HeY TaVbRo, I'M JuSt aLl uP AnD WoNdErInG If wE CaN MeEt uP  
AT: uHHHH,,, i'M NOT TOO SURE ABOUT THAT,  
AT: bECAUSE MY DAD DOESN'T LIKE UHHH,, ME MEETING ONLINE FRIENDS  
AT: sORRY,,, ):{  
TC: NaH BrO I UnDeRsTaNd, I JuSt tHoUgHt tHaT MaYbE SiNcE We wErE AlL Up aNd bEsT BrOs tHaT We cOuLd mEeT Up aNd sTuFf  
TC: )O:

It had always been like this.

Sure the two boys had been talking to each other for a while now but he had never seen Tavros in person, and honestly the teen was curious. Tavros said the troll was modeled after himself but Gamzee couldn't get the right mental image. He kept seeing Tavros as his troll self, he sometimes thought that maybe he was a troll in real life, hiding behind a computer screen with his giant horns.

It had certainly been an amusing thought.

But really the conversations they had were not so shallow, it wasn't just idle talk, Gamzee had actually gotten personal. He really didn't know why he felt so comfortable with Tavros, but he had let out all his anger and frustration, his doubts and worries, all the while Tavros had been there, talking back. It was the first time someone was with him, here he didn't feel so alone. Even at school, even though he had tons of friends he had felt the cold chills biting at his insides, they couldn't understand. There were very few people he could actually trust with his inner turmoil, he just couldn't say the hurt he was feeling.

He finally noticed his misty eyes, lights and colors swirling and mixing, it was beautiful-

AT: uHHH,,, gAMZEE?  
AT: i'M REALLY SORRY,,, pLEASE DON'T BE MAD AT ME,,,  
AT: gAMZEE,,, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU,,, I NEED YOUR HELP  
AT: bUT UHHHMM,, i DON'T WANT TO BOTHER YOU OR ANYTHING,,,

He wiped his eyes, and let his fingers run across the keys,

TC: It's cOoL BrO, wHaT Do yA NeEd hElPiN' wItH TaVbRo?  
AT: uHHHH,,, .i THINK I'M IN LOVE,

[S]: Be the shy boy in love.

It was pathetic really.

It was a tumulus mess of teenage hormones, but he couldn't help but allow himself to fall. It was almost like a movie, except without the happy ending. His eyes had always looked through the crowds, pushing through the passer-bys, he could barely keep breathing.

He appeared, his smile brightening the whole room.

Travis felt his breath leave him, completely awe struck by the boy across the hall. Soon the crowd swallowed him whole, he was gone again, leaving behind emptiness. Brown eyes finally pulled away, quickly refocusing on where exactly he was, soon he found his breath again.

Gabriel would never see him.

It was just never meant to be, and Travis wondered how he could allow himself to get lost in the emotions. The two would never meet, they weren't friends. Gabriel had been put on a pedestal, and Travis could only watch and admire. He would never get a chance to talk to the eternally happy boy, he meant nothing to him-

Sometimes Gabriel would turn away for a moment, and his whole smile would fall, tears glazing his blue eyes.

Travis was honestly surprised when he came into the bathroom that day, only to find Gabriel hunched over the off-white sink, soft sobs passing through his lips and echoing off the walls. He had come in there to clean up some wounds he got, he never expected this. Gabriel looked up, locking eyes with the intruder, his blue eyes piercing and angry.

Travis felt his heart ice over, every nerve began to die over, he was terrified.

Finally a smile replaced the hate, and Gabriel reached over, “Here...let me help you out...” Travis pulled away, blushing hard from the sudden contact, “I-I'm f-f-fine, I c-can fi-ix it m-myself-f.” He mentally cursed himself for becoming so skittish, his stutter had come out worse than it really was. Gabriel continued to smile, but let him go, “Okay. I guess I'll see ya then.”

With a finally wave Gabriel left and Travis wondered if he really had seen him crying just a moment ago.

[S]: Become immersed in your fantasies about Gabriel.

Wait, that would defiantly never happen, he would never stoop to your level just to hang out.

[S]: Notice Gamzee's pestering.

TC:ReAlLy tAvBrO?  
TC: ThAt's mOtHeRfUcKiNg aWeSoMe bRo  
TC: WhO ArE ThEy?  
TC: TeLl mE AlL AbOuT It bRo  
TC: I CaN'T MiSs a mIrAcLe lIkE ThIs

[S]: Become an interested motherfucker.

In all honesty Gamzee was interested. Tavros had never said anything about love, and Gamzee was always sure to never say anything too weird. He had always thought that Tavros had maybe, felt something towards Gamzee, that they could maybe start something...

AT: uHHH,,, yEAH I AM,  
AT: iT'S,,, sOMEONE I SEE AT SCHOOL a lot  
AT: uHHHH,,, I JUST  
AT: .i DON'T LIKE FEELING THIS WAY

Gamzee felt a smile creep up on his lips, his chest swelled with Tavros' orange text, it was just so much like him.

TC: No nEeD To wOrRy bRo  
TC: LoVe iS A MoThErFuCkInG MiRaClE  
TC: AnD ReAlLy, I ThInK YoU CoUlD GeT AlL Up wItH AnYbOdY YoU WaNtEd tO  
TC: HeLl i wOuLd gEt tOgEtHeR WiTh yOu iF I CoUlD

Gamzee wanted to smack himself, so much for not creeping out his bro.

AT: uHHH,, tHAT'S VERY NICE OF YOU TO SAY  
AT: .i DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO REACT TO THAT  
AT: uHHHH,,,, bUT YOU DON'T UHHHH,, uNDERSTAND

Gamzee furrowed his brows, he sometimes hated how Tavros would always bash on himself.

Soon he remembered all that Tavros had shared with him, how he felt so lonely and lame, his self esteem was 6 feet under, and it fucking hurt Gamzee. Some of the thing Tavros would say about himself were all lies, it was sad to see the boy's self-loathing. He had tried to get Tavros out of that rut, if anything Tavros was the exact opposite of all the hateful words. 

Tavros was beautiful and perfect and Gamzee just wished that he could have him.

Gamzee fucking dreamed about the shy boy, tried to get an image of how he was, to know exactly they would look together, he wanted to be able to finally see his love. It didn't even matter how he looked like, he would still be the same old Tavros. A hazy memory came to the surface, _There was once two poets who lived far across the land from one another, and soon they had met by chance. There was no physical confrontation, but simply a sharing of words and syllables, they had read each others work. Soon letters were being sent, and the two fell in love._

Gamzee sighed, the story had struck a nerve in his chest, he wanted to have his affection returned, he wished that Tavros would go and see him. He just knew that this was different, that this was love, Tavros was everything to him.

_They finally met in person, but by then they had already fallen in love, and soon they found their own world, filled with the best things in life.Of course life wasn't perfect, but they had somehow used those poems and words to communicate, they could never be separated._

Gamzee bit his lip, if anything he was used to being alone, and soon he felt tears escape his eyes.

He would let Tavros find love.

TC: jUsT gO fOr It BrO, i'M sUrE tHeY'lL lIkE yOu BaCk

The screen got blurry, and Gamzee could barely contain the wave of feelings, he was doing this for Tavros.

_It wasn't until one of them became blind that it became an issue, and soon one was left all alone._ _The blind one wallowed in his home, his love had set eyes on another and finally left him._

AT: uHHHH,, .i GUESS I COULD TRY,,,

_The blind poet desperately tried to use his words, but he could not see, he had no way of ever writing his poems again..._

TC: It'Ll Be FiNe TaVbRo.

Gamzee wasn't sure if he was saying it to himself or to Tavros.

TC: : O)

AT: tHANKS GAMZEE  
AT: }:)

adiosToreador ceased pestering terminallyCapricious.

Gamzee stared at the screen with confusion, but the he found himself kicked out, the game was logging him out and everything.

[S]: Become Gabriel.

He sighed, he wished he had more time with Tavros.


	2. Glitch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are picking up speed now, and Tavros encounters a glitch.

\---}[RESTART] ----}1 week later{---

[S]: Become Gabriel.

He shifted again, snoring softly as he continued to dream about bull-horns and a sharp smile.

[S]: Become Cain.

He awoke with a start, heart hammering in his chest as the clock blared angry red numbers. A sneer peeled onto his face and with a swift swing of his arm he was able to knock over the offending device, Cain almost smiled at the sound of the damned thing colliding with the floor. He ripped off the sheets, shivering at the cool air that brushed past his damp skin.

All he could think about were blue eyes.

They had been haunting his dreams for about a month now, fuck he even marked it on his calendar.

April 13th.

Cain felt that he should have easily recognized those clear blue eyes, the importance of that date-

[S]: Become Karkat.

carcinoGeneticist is an idle chum.

[S]: Be the protagonist of the story.

_Which one?_

[S]: Take a moment to think.

\---}Cain  
\---}Gabriel  
\---}Travis  
\---}???

??? Began pestering you.

???: You should really hurry up.  
???: You know you don't have much time left.  
???: Things are about to speed up soon.  
???: Wake up.

[S]: Become Gabriel.

A soft breath escaped through his lips and his eyes fluttered as he began to regain consciousness, blue eyes glassy with dreams of his favorite troll.

He quickly got up, teetering to his closet to pull some clothes o-  
[S]: Become Karkat.

He couldn't figure out why he kept logging onto Suburb, it was a shitty game with even shittier players. Red eyes glanced over to his hive, suddenly it was flipped over, the whole damn structure was upside-down. Karkat began to move forward and instead his troll went in the opposite direction, the angry troll began to scream.

Some one FUCKING REVERSED THE CONTROLS.

He grumbled, smashing his hands against the directional-pad, wasting his precious brain cells in order to navigate towards his fucking hive. As soon as he got through that nightmare, his troll began moving like a complete retard again, the controls now being sideways.

Karkat felt like he was going to have A FUCKING ANUREYSM ANY MINUTE NOW-

The game completely froze, and he could stop himself from raging at the screen, hoping that the program wouldn't make his computer suicide itself. He saw the whole fucking screen fill with random colors and shit, and even the horrific music became muted, only to transform into a shrill as hell beep, Karkat would rather shove scissors into his ears then continue this madness. He was about to turn off his broken computer, and instead he found his screen cleared up, and the music drastically changed to a happier tune.

He was transported to a neighborhood.

It was more like a glitch town, but he was certain that it used to resemble a neighborhood, and it was certainly better than the glitch wave he had just gotten through.

Blue assaulted his eyes and he finally made out a boy dressed up in all kinds of blue doing some...windy thingy. He tried to get a better look at the new character sprite, he had never heard about his city or anyone being anything besides a troll-

Karkat huffed, it was probably some scrapped level with broken character models left behind. He was surprised to see the 

.carcinoGeneticist began pestering ectoBiologist

CG: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  
CG: STOP THAT STUPID SHIT RIGHT NOW.  
CG: ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME ASS-BITE?  
EB: :B  
EB: Hi, you seem like a nice person.  
EB: Okay, I'll stop doing my windy-thingy.

Karkat waited for the boy to stop, yet the blue clad boy only continued the stupid floating, and it was really starting to grate on his nerves.

CG: STOP IT. STOP. UGHHHHH WHY DOES EVERY FUCKING PERSON I MEET HAVE TO TURN OUT TO BE A FUCKING RETARD?  
EB: Ha ha, you're really funny.  
EB: :B  
CG: FUCK ME. I MUST HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS AND DRANK THE TEARS OF CHILDREN TO ASPIRE TO THIS PUNISHMENT.  
CG: YES, APPARENTLY THERE IS A GOD, AND HE FUCKING HATES ME.

[S]: Become Karkat's computer.

g00dBY3.\\\\\\\\\0010011101001000111000000000000000------

[S]: Become a raging teenage boy.

He was livid about his failing computer, the damned thing was a pathetic excuse for a toaster. He placed his fingers against his temples, applying a small amount of pressure, he defiantly was going to have an aneurysm-

He remembered his breathing exercises, slowly filling his chest with air, holding it, and then letting it all go.

His eyes grew damp and he refused to look up.

He was fucking cracking under everything. Sometimes he felt as if the whole world was on his shoulders, and that he could barely keep the whole thing from falling apart. His fingertips began to move, at first cupping over his closed eyelids, catching the rain, but then he pressed into them, pushing his fingers into his eyes.

Red was a lovely color after all.

_Hey best bro, I just wanted to remind you how much I car-_

Cain ripped his hands away, his eyes were still damp from staring at the computer screen too long, and he shut the broken unlit screen, he quickly took in all his things and left for the jail known as school.

He looked up, the bright blue sky shining with wispy white clouds, it reminded him of John.

[S]: RESTART

He looked up, bright blue sky shining with wispy white clouds, it reminded him of...

Reminded him of...love?

[S]: Become a boy with a fragile heart.

He felt another laugh escape through his chest, and he glanced over to the side, hoping to catch a glimpse of his newest infatuation.

Gabriel needed to get over Tavros, he had to at least _try_ to be happy for his bro. Whoever was the object of Tavros' affection was one lucky motherfucker. Finally he spotted the boy with the fluffy brown mohawk, and he wanted to squeal in delight.

Gabriel had always thought the brunette punk was a cutie, but he had never really paid any attention to him until recently. It had been be mere chance, during his TA period he was asked to deliver so summons and blah blah bluh, so he was doing his job and he took the papers to the art room.

Once he entered the room he noticed the mohawk boy drawing, his tan hands stained black and gray with charcoal, eyes completely entranced by the drawing before him. Gabriel was able to sneak a quick peek at the masterpiece as he crossed to meet with the teacher, and he felt his jaw drop to the ground.

The punk was drawing a troll boss from Suburb, and two trolls fighting together against the abomination.

What had really caught his attention was the nearly complete troll, his horns curving upward and fluffy curls adorning a long face. He couldn't see what else was going on, mainly because that was all that was completed on the canvas, and soon the teacher began to shoo him away, pushing him out before he could even get a chance to get the boy's name.

Gabriel wanted to see the full picture, to find out about the adorable punk who had a talent for art.

He saw the boy rush over to a long haired girl, her name was Ariana or something, and they began to chat together. Gabriel couldn't rip his eyes away from the new beauty he had discovered. The Latino boy laughed heartily, a pink blush rising through smooth tan skin, and a big smile shining brightly. Gabriel felt his heart skip a beat, he clutched at his chest, the poor love-organ was now going a mile at a minute. 

This boy was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life.

[S]: Become the mohawk boy.

Today was going well so far, but he was nervous about his plan.

Travis didn't know when he was going to tell Gabriel, but he felt his skin prickle, he could feel a heavy gaze settled in his general direction.

He instinctively turned, wanting to find out who was watching-

[S]: Be the stalker boy.

Gabriel locked eyes with the gorgeous boy, admiring his rich chocolate brown eyes and how the orange highlights sparkled, but soon he felt reality slam him in the face.

He was caught staring.

Gabriel felt his whole face heat up, and he quickly averted his eyes, trying to act nonchalant about his obvious staring, why did he have to be a creepy motherfucker?

[S]: Be the confused boy.

Confusion settled onto his face, why was Gabriel looking at him? Travis felt his heart leap happily, but he quickly squashed the rising hope in his chest, it was probably just a coincidence. Travis noticed how the table suddenly flipped, and it began to melt, Travis was seriously worried, it actually reminded him of how Suburb was glitchin-

[S]: RESTART

Confusion settled onto his face, why was Gabriel looking at him? Travis was confused, he was sure this was familiar before-

[S]: RESTART

Confusion settled onto his face, why was Gamzee looking at him?


	3. Gamzee

\---}[RESTART}

[S]: Be a confused troll.

Tavros sighed and walked over to Gamzee, waving his hand and smiling, “He-ey, h-how are y-you?” Gamzee gave him a look of disbelief and flushed a deep red, “I'm good thanks. And you?” Tavros let out a soft giggle, “I'm doing f-fine right now.” He turned to Aradia and felt a smile crawl onto his lips, “Uhhmm, I gotta t-talk to Aradia, I'll s-see you later okay?” Before Gamzee could respond he ran over to Aradia's side, falling into step and giving her a bright smile.

Aradia stared at him completely awestruck, “Travis, did you just nonchalantly walk up to your crush and talk to him?” He gave a small frown trying to figure out why Aradia had called him Travis, “Uhmm, no.” Aradia gave him a incredulous look and just sighed, walking towards her next class.

[S]: Be a awestruck motherfucker.

Gabriel felt like his heart would explode.

He could feel the poor little organ hammering against his ribcage, begging to be free and following after his crush. Soon he was aching for more, to talk more and to want to taste those rosy red lips...

Blinking from his thought he gathered his things, he would have to go to class soon. He glanced around, hoping for a miracle, hoping to see the Latino boy...

[S]: Become Cain.

His first period was computer class, but what that really translated to was playing more Suburb. Even though the computers here were complete crap, it was manageable.

He slammed his hands on the keyboard, logging into Suburb. 

[Z]: YOUR SAVE FILE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED.

The brunette slammed his hands against the monitor, growling menacingly at the contraption, he continued to log in, over and over, trying to get the damn screen to change into something recognizable-

[Z]: YOUR SAVE FILE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED.

[Z]: YOUR SAVE FILE HAS BEEN CORRUPTED.

[Z]: YOUR SAVE FILE HAS BEEN-

[S]: Become Karkat.

He finally got in, but he was in that same neighborhood, Glitch City, but the blue boy was no where to be seen. He navigated through the whole city as best as he could, the fucking thing was mauling his eyes, but his efforts were fruitless. The whole place was deserted, and Karkat began to grow more and more irritated by the second.

Finally he saw a flash of blue and followed it, he had to find the derpy kid, he had to save-

[S]: RESTART

A barren wasteland of choppy buildings and items created his world, and this time he was completely clueless to why he was here. He noticed the sky was actually visible now, the bright blue staining the computer...

John?

Karkat felt his heart beat rapidly at the thought of the name, yet his head swirled with confusion, who the fuck was John? He leaned back, he could relax since nothing was here, instead he mused about the blue-blue-blue-blu-

[S]: Log out of Suburb.

Cain frowned as he came out of the game, his feet placed on the ground as he pushed himself up, taking a stand and hastily grabbing his things. He didn't even hear the bell for his next class, and he rushed, cursing along the way, he was going to get detention again-

He ran right into someone, dropping his stuff and having it scatter all across the floor.

“FUCKER!” He turned to the culprit, there was no way he was going to make it now-

“I'm sorry...”the blue eyed boy smiled, his buck teeth showing, “Here, let me help you.” Cain felt his whole face heat up as he scrambled to his feet, scurrying around to retrieve the contents of his bag. He could barely breathe, this boy was sucking all the breath out of him, making his heart hammer wildly-

“FUCK OFF...”Cain could barely control himself, he just wanted to find some sort of sanity and stability in the whirlwind of emotions, he had to get away-

Light laughter filled the halls, and the boy simply handed him his things, leaving with a particularly cold gust of wind.

The red-eyed boy felt a chill trickle down his spine and he finally felt the ground beneath his feet, the whole time he felt like he was floating-

The tardy bell brought him out of his thoughts and he groaned, he was going to have detention again. Yet even as he continued to walk to his class, he felt his heart a bit more elated-

_He could barely feel the ground beneath him-_

_It reminded him of John-_

[S]: RESTART

He left to his next class with a strange calm flowing through his veins, he couldn't help but enjoy how lovely the sky looked today-

[S]: Become a stalker.

Gabriel cursed as he tailgated the Latino punk, his hands shoved and clenched in his pockets-

He was a fucking sicko.

Every smile and movement left Gabriel completely intoxicated, he drank in the sight of smooth tan skin and the lithe body, admiring how the boy looked when he was bent over and picking up his bag from the ground. Hie eyes lingered onto the nice round rump that was covered with tight blue jeans, blue eyes sliding down his legs, faintly wondering how his favorite boy would sound in bed-

He bit his own lip, and more bad feelings lodged themselves in his throat, he was disgusting.

He noticed how clammy and wet his hands had gotten, quickly wiping them on his jeans before trying to leave the scene-

He felt his stomach lurch and he lost balance, skittering across the floor with only one arm extended, the other over his mouth. His legs shook under the weight, head spinning and choking on stale air.

Hot hands grabbed under his arms and he latched onto the only stable thing in the world, his blue eyes widening as he felt butterflies erupt in his chest. He leaned onto the smaller figure, face flushed and stomach twisting in pure pain, trying to not vomit all over his crush. Out of all the times he could get to finally touch his crush it had to be when he was like this.

Gabriel sighed at the hand rubbing circles on his back, and the world was going fuzzy around the edges-

“Shhh, I got you, take it easy.”

He felt himself let go, collapse into the open arms and felt his world fade to black-

[S]: Become the savior.

He struggled to keep Gamzee from falling to the floor, pushing with all his might so that he could help his bro out. Someone had called the nurse and she helped him get Gamzee to the infirmary, “Can you please stay with him, I have to take a few files to the office.” Nodding, he turns back to the sleeping boy, watching the serene expression on the boy's face. He lets a smile curl on his lips, he could finally rest easy now that Gamzee was alrigh-

[S]: RESTART

He lets a smile curl on his lips, he could finally rest easy now...?

Travis felt a blazing heat rush to his face, he was in the infirmary with Gabriel, he didn't remember why or how he got here, he needed to leav-

Long warm fingers wrapped around his wrist and he froze, heat flaring in his chest and face, Travis refused to look back at his crush. He continued to avoid Gabriel's piercing blue eyes, biting his lips in anxiety. “Thanks bro, you're a life saver...I never did catch your name.” 

[S]: Become the victim of love.

Gabriel was squealing internally, he was ecstatic over the simple entwine of their hands, never had something felt so perfect, so right; the action was as easy and natural as breathing. The room was incredibly hot, and he couldn't figure if it was from the sudden sickness of being so close to his infatuation. Swallowing a lump in his throat he tightened his grip on the punk, he wasn't going to let him get away, not when he was within grasp.

The Latino was obviously flustered, avoiding his gaze at every chance; yet he would still catch him for the briefest of seconds, blue would meet brown and his heart would throb wildly. Gabriel wanted to hear that sweet voice, to be able to close his eyes and melt away with the kid who had somehow stolen his heart. 

“M-my name i-is T-Travis.”

He felt a blush dust across his cheeks, he was enamored by the boy before him.

He smiled, “Travis...Well thanks again bro. I'm Gabriel, and we should hang out some more, you seem like a real chill guy.” Gabriel had to keep his voice steady, his heart fluttering as he proposed their friendship; he was willing to wait for Travis to get comfortable, in the meanwhile he could simply enjoy his presence-

[S]: Become the angry boy.

Cain snarled at his teacher, he didn't care if he was fucking late, he was off admiring the sky and it's perfect shade of blue. He plopped into his seat, dejectedly dropping his stuff beside his seat, not even caring if anything was misplaced.

He saw the boy from the hallway every time he closed his eyes, he knew that boy from somewhere-

[S]: Become a runner.

Travis could feel his feet hitting against the floor, pushing off the ground with loud thuds; heart hammering in his chest as he ran away from the infirmary.

In all honesty he didn't know why he was running, he must have looked like he had seen a ghost or something, but Gabriel just gave off a strange vibe when they were together.

Sure the guy was handsome and made Travis feel all kinds of flustered, but his voice and actions had thoroughly creeped him out. He was afraid of so many things, especially social interaction. It had been so long since he had to speak with someone outside of his comfort zone; that's why he preferred online chats, he wouldn't be so awkward in front of a screen millions of miles away from the other person. Travis panted and felt tears burn under hid eyelids, it was probably him just overreacting and making the whole encounter a big deal. 

His heart finally settled, but he could still feel the fluttering, Gabriel had wanted to hang out more.

He frowned, he really hoped he didn't mess things up; he was hoping for the feelings to become something beautifu-

[S]: RESTART

Gamzee had wanted to hang out more, and Tavros panicked, no- that was bad; BAD, BAD, BAD-

[S]: Become the staggering-lovesick fool.

Gabriel smiled as he tried to find his lovely boy, he had been shocked when he had suddenly sprinted from the room; he was beautiful in every way imaginable. Lewd thoughts began to play before his eyes and he blinked them away, he really had to stop doing that. It wasn't difficult to find his new friend, leaning against a locker and panting, but Gabriel noticed the sheer panic that tainted his flawless face. 

He found himself frowning, reaching out to Travis-

[S]: Become the terrified troll.

Tavros scrambled away, there was no way he was going to stay with Gamzee, not after his sober incident, “P-ple-ease s-s-stay aw-way!” He tried to be confident and strong, ignoring the warm tears that fell freely; trying to ward the insane troll away.

Gamzee moved forward, trying to grab him, but he didn't look right;

And Tavros couldn't stop himself from remembering all the good times, how he had fallen for his best bro but couldn't say a thing-

[S]: Become the confused motherfucker.

Gabriel couldn't really understand the sudden onslaught of tears and instead opted to cradle the other boy in his arms, even with crystal tears and a pained face Travis was gorgeous, voice cracking with sobs. The brunette tried to comfort the boy; he led him away from the hallway and into the nearest bathroom, pulling Travis with him along the way.

He grabbed tissues from one of the stalls and quickly came back, gently cradling the Latino's face and wiping away the warm tears.

[S]: RESTART

Gabriel blinked confusedly then shrugged off the strange feeling that crawled down his spine; He gently cradled the Latino's face and wiped away warm tears, becoming lost in glossy chocolate eyes.

[S]: RESTART

Gabriel frowned and continued to cradle his new friend, trying to keep his hand steady-

[S]: RESTART

He stopped completely, giving Tavros a blank stare.

[S]: Become the sobbing troll.

He wasn't sure why this Gamzee was being so strange, but he wanted to run as far away as he could, this was honestly scaring him-

[S]: RESTART

Travis noticed his blurry vision and how he was being embraced by Gabriel, face flushing and he froze-

[S]: Become a lover.

Gamzee leaned down, placing his lips onto the smaller boy, his eyes slipping shut as he fell into the kiss.

All he wanted was to be with Tavros...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the insanity of this chapter, it really is crazy.


	4. Wind

\---}[RESTART]

[S]: Be melancholic.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair.

HOW COULD HE ACCEPT THIS KIND OF SITUATION.

HOW COULD HE HAVE AGREED TO THIS POST GA-

[S]: RESTART

He logged on as usual and found himself already on another mission, his character within Suburb always seemed to go on the same mission despite not being sure of the requirements or what pay out there would be. All that would pop up in the description box was, Save the Heir of Breath.

An odd mission that was very vague indeed. Cain had racked his brain for any kind of clue or answer, checking his inventory and his map to see if there would be any indication that would lead him to finally unlocking that mission and being able to move on with the game.

He had been stuck for over a week now, but the more he thought about it the more he craved answers. His sprite had gone to hell and back, changing from his usual human form to a troll sprite, complete with a sort of mutation, he had never seen a "candy red" blooded troll, nor one with such nubby horns. It was somewhat saddening, he had really tried to change the god damned sprite to no avail.

[S]: Be a pathetic mutant.

Karkat really hated the game.

It wasn't fair.

He had always been thrown back to square one-and it seemed impossible to even FUCKING understand the missions anymore. Sometimes he'd have odd items like the 'ZILLYHOO HAMMER' or a 'WHITE FEDORA'.

What was even stranger was the areas were changing.

They weren't gibberish anymore, they were now changing to an ancient language he could somehow understand, names like Skaiya and Prospit were places he could visit! He never thought that he could reach these areas, he hadn't seen them on the original quest map but he supposed it was just part of the game, it seemed natural that one's world would expand once they reached certain areas and overcame obstacles.

What didn't make sense was how conditional the game was.

This shit varied DAILY and sometimes HOURLY. He was thoroughly ensnared; this must have been a ploy by the company developing this.

The company, who the fuck engineered this piece of crap? A bunch of stupid asshats, that's who. This game was so evil and disgusting, even his friend Sollux could make a better game in his sleep. At the mention of the dead troll he winced, now that he thought of it he might have been alone in playing this game.

Almost everyone died during the-

[S]: RESTART

He was definitely alone in this. He really he wished he had some sort of help, a team or a group he could rely on to cover ground and help him get supplies. The more he bitched the less he understood, why would he be stuck with this atrocious game if he had no team to lead? Maybe his 'Heir of Breath' was a part of his team?

[S]: Try to keep the chill from bothering you.

Cain didn't like being so cold, but he would deal with it. His passive nature towards the wind made him uneasy, any rational person wouldn't let themselves be swept up by a gust or a rush of air yet sometimes he dreamed of it-

He wouldn't bother to even wear a jacket sometimes for that very reason; to be able to be comforted and hugged by such an air current. John was the same way as well.

[S]: RESTART

John...now who was he again?

He stopped playing his game, pulling away from the computer and reminiscing. Yes, of course, John-his best friend John. John, who was dorky and had stupid looking teeth, amazing blue eyes and glasses. Lanky, semi-tall but not as tall as Dave yet having mischievous pranks and tricks John.

The same John who he was madly in love with.

[S]: RESTART

The same John who wasn't here anymore?

[S]: RESTART

Cain couldn't believe how he hadn't stayed in contact with his long-time friend and budding love, distance was never an issue when he first met John-so why would it be now?

[S]: RESTART

A small smile bloomed on his face, his eyes were like the sky-and he loved windy weather. His favorite game was Suburb and they were a team.

[S]: RESTART

Johnny, his best bud. They were so good at this game, they were even able to face the devil-boss himself; Lord Engli-

[S]: RESTART

Joe? Fuck Joe, he was an asshole during chemistry-why would he want to work with an idiot like that assbite? Seriously, his classmates could go die in a green sun or something similar.

[S]: Be completely lost.

Don't worry.

? Began pestering you.

?: Please take these equations into account

\---}T+T=2

\---}G+G=1

\---}C+K=2

\---}A+A=1

?: Understand that we might not be the people we want to be.

?: Or the people others see us for that matter.

?: Yet at the core we are the same, in essence at least.

[S]: Be someone who isn't male.

Ariana quickly tossed her bag aside, school had been let out for awhile yet the obstacles of this world had deterred her from playing.

Yes, she was going to play Suburb; but this time she would fix the game so that it would be useful to them. It sucked, being the only one who knew anything, yet it was the hardest for her-

She only had one more shot at this.

This was her last chance, she had to reunite the players of suburb into something cohesive and at least semi-manageable. People were already suffering in the game, trapped and unable to reach this side, for whatever reason. She figured it could go the opposite way as well, players left behind in this world without any ability to tap into the game.

She sighed and booted up her computer, ready to play.

[S]: Use the same body.

Aradia smiled as she reached connection with the other side, quickly gathering a satchel and using Sol's restore device to make sure none of the bugs fucked with her items. She moved into the Land of Wind and Shade, smiling at the blue clad boy, "Hello there! Any luck with keeping Karkat's attention?"

The boy's usual upbeat personality seemed to sink at the question, he shook his head and huffed, "I don't know how they're doing this still. We're missing a good handful of players, and there are some that are connected but they keep getting interference.

Aradia listens carefully, "Okay then. I'll still try to see if I can find any more players on the other side, but it's hard since it's not in Ariana's character to be so social." John nodded, his eyes adopting a melancholic tint, "Yeah...He's so close, ya know? He remembers sometimes, and he comes here but, he's got too many bugs for me to interact with him properly. It's like...I really am the wind. I'm there, I definitely exist yet he can't see me, he can only trust that I am with him."

[S]: Be annoyed.

"Okay, tho what if you're thtuck in this thide? Not like we have anything to thtay on that thide with."

Aradia sent Sollux a warning glare, miffed at how he intruded on the almost poetic musing John had entered. His words held a large amount of undeniable truth, the boys had died on that side. It hadn't even been his usual pessimism, and therefore unable to counter.

"Regardlethh I got thomething you might like. I wath able to get Kkth attention by ithhuing a mithhion to him. He'll follow that crap thince he really doeth think it'th thome thort of really crappy game." A small smile graced his lips, "Just like KK, tho fixiated on finithing."

[S]: Be in a hurry.

Aradia knew her time here would run out soon, so she began to pack quickly, trying to set up safe realms and fix up their temporary base, they needed to at least make proper contact with Karkat before moving from this area.

In the mean time she knew Tavros and Gamzee were available as well, all she had to do was see if their other side-

[S]: Fuck it's cold in here.

Cain scowled, hugging himself and rubbing his arms for warmth.

He sometimes wished he had John's sweater, it matched the color of his eyes and seemed to always encompass him so perfectly. Then again it was John's sweater, of course it was perfect.

[S]: RESTART

John, he missed John. It was kind of a day like this, where he was so sure he had the power to do so much. He claimed he could save the world, that they would be able to save the world together. He would usually go along with John's stupid comments, but he would definitely not jump off a building-

[S]: RESTART

He liked this game cause of the initial mission, saving the world. It sounded cool, and John said it was a pretty good game. Fuck, he should have kept his sweater after-

[S]:RESTART

He should have really kept that fugly blue sweater, at least it would keep him warm.

[S]:RESTART

He should really invest in a fucking sweater. Maybe a blue one?

[S]: RESTART

Fuck, it was cold. He should probably close the window so the draft doesn't haunt him.


End file.
